Oil leak! Rear Main Seal / Front Engine Seal?

[Kaput]

I have a 1970 Bus with 1600dp.

I was leaking some oil before but the temperature dropped to 2 degrees the other day here in Colorado and is still pretty cold.

I started the bus up and I have a pretty good leak from the front of the engine (seems to hafe gotten far worse from the cold). I am looking online and in my idiot book and I think I need to replace the seal behind the flywheel and adjust the endplay.

The idiot book calls it a front seal and the internet seams to call it a rear main seal.

Are these the same seal?

The procedure is here in the book and a couple videos but I'm not quite sure what to buy for a seal or shims for the endplay adjustment.

The engine in the bus is a 1600dp from a 1974 ghia.

Can anyone send me a link to the correct seal and shims? A kit possibly?
-=thanks=-

[Kaput]

is this also called the crankshaft seal?

[airschooled]

Hi there,

First off, thanks for posting the detailed information we need to help you.

Since you have a T1 engine, you'll need the (more easily accessible) 1300-1600 shims. Aircooled.net makes a nice set of two of each size.

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/Flywheel-Shim-Kit-1300-1600cc-Engines-Set-of-10-p/flywheel-shim-kit.htm

If you don't want to spend that much/buy that many shims, you can disassemble your shim stack, measure your endplay, and measure your shims. If your end play is .008" for example, you would want to replace your smallest shim with a shim .004" larger. This would give you a .004" end play, which is right in the acceptable range of .003"-.005". This is hard to get perfect, as sometimes shims are worn to non-even sizes, and sometimes the markings/sizes just don't add up perfectly. In that case, you're probably best off ordering a few different sizes. And at that point, you're probably better off ordering the kit...

Also refresh your flywheel o-ring if you have it. Some older flywheels don't, but it's a safe cheap bet to buy an oring before your engine is apart and on the floor.
http://vwparts.aircooled.net/Flywheel-O-Ring-1300-1600cc-Engines-311-105-295A-p/311-105-295a.htm

From experience, you MUST install a new crankshaft oil seal when setting the end play. I thought I could be clever my first time around and peel the shims out, but I had a prodigious oil slick in my driveway afterwards.

Ahh the age old discussion of what to call that seal!
On OUR Volkswagens, they're on the front. So front main seal sounds right. But on MOST other cars, it's in the rear, so rear main seal is an "industry standard" term. On a T1 like ours, it's the only seal. So "main seal" is appropriate to avoid internet fights. I also like calling it the "flywheel seal" to really avoid confusion, because T4 engines have another seal around the other rear end of the crank we can call the "fan seal." Now what happens when someone who calls the flywheel seal the rear main seal needs a fan seal for their T4? The "other" rear main seal?

Robbie
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[Kaput]

Thanks asiab3

Exactly what I needed to know, I think I have everything needed in my cart.

Hopefully I can dig up that flywheel lock somewhere.

[SGKent]

when it is cold the oil is thick which results in high pressure. Are you sure the leak is coming from between the engine and transmission, and not dripping down from the oil cooler at the back? High pressure might blow out that seal if it was weak, or even rupture the oil cooler.
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[Tcash]

http://vwparts.aircooled.net/Flywheel-Seal-Type-1-Based-Engines-German-p/113-105-245fs.htm
Best to record your End Play before you take it apart.
Good Luck
Tcash

[Wasted youth]

Not to scare you off, but one of the conditions I had was leaking oil from the front seal (like you), and really excessive crankshaft endplay (which you are NOT indicating you have.)

So, be sure to really look at things when you have the engine out and have the seal and shims out.

This is what I found:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=615690

Again, I am NOT saying you will have this, but really take care in your crankshaft endplay calculations, and never exceed maximum allowable shim stacking.

[Kaput]

I am not sure that it is not the oil cooler, I suppose I should check that.

Wasted Youth , you are scaring me!

Can the fan shroud be removed to check the oil cooler and seals without pulling the engine?>

[grtfldan]

gotta pull the motor, but on a 70 its a breeze.
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79 Bay project

[Kaput]

This will be my first time pulling the engine on the 70. I assume it will be about the same as my old 65 (no longer own it.) Probably easier since a PO cut an access hole in the top of the engine compartment resembling a later bus in rough fashion.

[Wasted youth]

[Tcash]

Don't forget to disconnect the accelerator cable!

[busdaddy]